Resilience and Inspiration at Orchard Knob Reservation
Wildflower season returns to the botanical treasure box that is Orchard Knob Reservation, also known as the tiniest mightiest unit of the Chickamauga Chattanooga National Military Park.
While we were all keeping our socially distant corners this past year, life has been tending to its own needs on the Knob, with the help of some keen observers. By now, readers of this blog are familiar with some of the recently discovered rare wildflowers in the park and the efforts underway to protect and encourage their survival and propagation.
Colorado State University biologist, Alaina Krakowiak, taking tissue samples of rare flowers at Orchard Knob Reservation in April 2021. Photo Courtesy of @respecttheknob
To catch up: In 2018, a floristic inventory of Orchard Knob was made by then UTC undergrad, Alaina Krakowiak, after Orchard Knob resident and park and plant advocate, Charli Wyatt, found a rare Clematis fremontii growing there and brought it to Krakowiak’s lab at the UTC Herbarium for identification. That event defined the balance of Krakowiak’s undergrad time in Chattanooga as she studied the Knob on-site nearly daily throughout the seasons and built a master list of all the plant species growing there. This led Krakowiak to pursue her master's degree in Biology at Colorado State University where she is now.
“I became totally fascinated with Clematis fremontii. I wanted to figure out how to answer all the questions I had about this species, and maybe even help conserve it!”, Krakowiak said.
Clematis fremontii is rare in Tennessee with only two known populations, and only one in Georgia. The other populations are in Missouri and Kansas. Such a widely separated geographical area in which populations occur is called a "disjunct distribution.” No one knows how they got there or if they are in the same species. To learn more, Krakowiak has taken tissue samples of the plants growing in GA, MO, and KS, and was in Chattanooga in April to collect local samples of Clematis fremontii at Orchard Knob.
Back in Colorado, Krakowiak will extract DNA from these Orchard Knob samples, then sequence them to learn more about the genetic diversity of this population while comparing them to the data in the other disjunct populations. Her findings will be published in her thesis project, "Conservation Genetics and Phylogeography of Fremont's Leather Flower (Clematis fremontii)”.
While recently revisiting the population of Fremont's Leather Flower (Clematis fremontii) at Orchard Knob Reservation for her masters’ thesis research, Krakowiak noticed that the flowers on the plants here are rather small compared to elsewhere in this species' range. Her research may help determine if the plants that occur in Orchard Knob and other southeastern populations could represent a unique variety of this species, which could have an impact on its protection.
Depending on those findings, there could be wider implications as well. Krakowiak believes it is possible that the plants that occur in Orchard Knob and other southeastern populations could represent a unique variety of this species, which could have an impact on its protection.
While Orchard Knob Reservation is well preserved because of its pivotal role during three days of fighting in November 1863 – becoming General Grant's forward observation post as he watched the Union assault upon Missionary Ridge – take a closer look and one’s view of the Knob today tells other stories of resilience and inspiration as a part of our shared natural heritage.
“In certain parts of the year, the entire northern slope is painted yellow with a variety of asters. In other parts of the year, bright orange milkweeds are out showing off for the visiting monarch butterflies. Some days I go up and there are dozens of swallows circling overhead. Sometimes there is a breeze that creates the most beautiful ripples and waves through the native grasses. Every time you visit the Knob it will be a little bit different, thanks to the native habitat you can find there,” Krakowiak said.
Later this summer, workdays are planned with subject matter experts from Southeast Invasive Plant Management, SEIPMT, who will work alongside park crews for additional invasive removal and monitoring in all units of the park. Due to Orchard Knob’s endangered inventory, methods used to control and remove invasives in that unit are a little different and take into account the site’s particular botanical sensitivities. Kiel Rommel, NPS Preservationist / TTAP Supervisor with the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, says the magnitude of the issue with invasive and exotic plants at CCNMP is significant. Unchecked and rapid growth can have serious negative impacts on other park priorities concerning road safety, fire management, and historic viewsheds.
Want to help? Learn more about our Jewell Memorial Restoration Fund for landscape and monument restoration.
Learn more: Watch Alaina Krakowiak take tissue samples of rare flowers and discuss her work in this clip shot by Orchard Knob’s best friend, Charli Wyatt.
Click the media player below for an audio file of this blog.